Melt My Heart
by ssdawning
Summary: On Valentines Day, many packages and surprises start to arrive at Hermione's flat. Hermione has a secret admirer, but who is it? The mystery wizard will soon be revealed.Story full of romance, humor and fluff!


**Thanks go to the marvelous and talented Curse Weaver who agreed to beta this story for me. Thank you for your help! I also wanted to thank Blood Faerie for her translation help...also thanks to JKR for supplying such great characters for me to write about...and I don't even pretend to own them. This story was written for the Valentine's Day Challenge at GE.**

Melt my Heart

By: ssdawn

After a long day of work at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione Granger was thrilled to be home. Her work in the Department of Mysteries always left her tired and drained. It was a relief that tomorrow was her day off. With a quick dinner, a late night movie and a cup of hot cocoa, Hermione went to bed.

The next morning Hermione slept in, benefitting from the much needed rest. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it was 12:00 noon. She never slept in that late! Of course that made her smile and giggle as she thought of her poor co-workers who had already been at work for over four hours.

Hermione went to look at the calendar: February 14th, Oh Yes! Hermione's heart fell as she thought about Valentine's Day. The quote on today's date said, "There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."-George Sand. With a great sigh Hermione felt that what this quote said was true. This was the one thing in her life that was keeping her from finding happiness; no romantic love.

At the ripe age of 28, many of her close friends had found love. Harry had married Padma Patil. Ron had finally settled down with Susan Bones and Ginny had found love with Neville Longbottom. Why was love evading her, a beautiful, intelligent and personable witch

Yes, Hermione had been involved with many wizards the past eight or nine years; such as Draco Malfoy, Marcus Flint and Charlie Weasley. Not one relationship made it past the one year anniversary. The funny thing for Hermione was that she had many friends; and most were men. Though she was still friends with Harry, Ron and Ginny, her mates that she partied with every weekend were George Weasley, Dean Thomas, Cedric Diggory, Roger Davies and Blaise Zabini. She knew that people thought it was odd that she was the lone witch among this group of blokes, but it all seemed to work. Hermione knew she was 

accepted and admired by these wizards. She had hoped that maybe something would work out with just one of these fabulous wizards, but nothing materialized.

Hermione secretly hope that some of her friends would want to do something tonight. She really didn't want to spend the evening alone and hoped that they all didn't have dates.

**1:00 p.m.**

At 1: oo p.m., Hermione heard a tapping at her window. Opening her window, a brown owl flew in. holding out its leg to Hermione, she untied a package from the owl's leg. She next opened the package and inside was a toy puppy. Around its neck on a red ribbon was one candy heart with the words, "Puppy Love". A small note in the package read, "For a long time, I have had a bad case of Puppy Love for you." That was all and the note was not signed. Who could have sent this to her? Hermione's mind was racing trying to figure out who had sent the puppy. Also, she wondered how serious the sender was or was the sender just teasing?

**2:00 p.m.**

Around 2:00 p.m. there was a knock at her door. Hermione went flying to the door. As she answered the door, no one was there except for a bottle of "Pep-Me-Up" potion. With the potion were a note and another candy heart. This candy said, "Home Sick", what did that mean? Who would send a potion? She took off the stopper and sure enough it was what it said on the bottle. Reading the note it said, "I am "Home Sick" pining away for you." Laughing at the playful note, this only made Hermione smile even bigger. How exciting to have a secret admirer! She needed to have this happen today. Maybe it wasn't the same person. Was that vain of her to think that maybe she had two secret admirers?

**3:00 p.m.**

At 3:00 p.m. Hermione decided to hop into the shower. As the hot water pelted her skin, she was still grinning at everything that had happened the last two hours. A list of men started scrolling through her mind. She quickly eliminated certain men from her list such as Harry and Ron; then the old boyfriends such as Draco, Marcus and Charlie were crossed off. Maybe, just maybe, it was one of the five handsome men that she was close friends with. Could one of them harbor real feelings of love for her?

Suddenly she heard a loud "POP". There in the middle of the shower stood a house elf. "Aww" Hermione screamed trying to cover her naked self with her two hands. The house elf stood there, dripping wet holding a soaked package.

"This is for you Miss Hermione" Hermione dumbfounded, grabbed the package as the house elf quickly left the way it had come. Turning the water off and laughing at the absurdness of the situation, she shook her head. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her body and one around her hair. With her wand she cast a drying spell on her package. It was still very squishy. Opening it, a fog-like mist filled the bathroom. Floating down to the floor was a glittering note with a candy heart that said, "In a Fog". The note said, "I am lost in a fog without your love."

"Well, I am also in a fog about who sent this!" What a difference a few hours can make and change the outlook of the day.

**4:00 p.m.**

Finally ready for the day, Hermione warmed up some vegetable soup and sat down to eat lunch. Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet, trying not to anticipate more candy hearts flying, popping or floating into her life. Hearing noises outside of her window, Hermione wandered out onto her balcony. She looked up into the cloudy sky. The first thing that she saw was her name up in the sky. All of the words were in the middle of a huge heart. It said, "Hermione……I would be on cloud nine if you would be mine." Blushing, she looked around as her neighbors were leaning out windows and waving at her from other balconies.

"Hey, Hermione! You have a secret Admirer!" Hermione just waved and watched the sky until the words disappeared.

**5:00 p.m.**

As Hermione thought about what else she should do today, there was another knock at the door. Opening her door there stood Dean Thomas. Hermione was a little surprised. Was Dean the one who had a secret crush on her? No, it couldn't be. There had never been any romantic feelings between the two friends. But there he stood holding a 10 pound weight in his hand. With a darling grin he handed the weight to Hermione.

"I guess you probably know that this is for you," said Dean.

With no hesitation Hermione asked,"Are you the one that has been sending me the cute notes all day?"

Dean just shook his head no, "Wrong mate, but that's one guess down. I need to go, but have a happy day Hermione."Before turning to leave, he gave her a light kiss on her cheek.

Looking down at the weight in her hands there was another note with a candy heart that said, "Fit for Love". The note said, "I am in good shape and "Fit to Love" you." That not only brought a blush to her face but intense heat. Which one of her close male friends was fit and ready to love her?

**6:00 p.m.**

Nervously pacing, Hermione was not surprised at all when she heard another knock at the door. Closing her eyes, she slowly opened the door and there stood her mate, Blaise Zabini. Yes, maybe this could be the one. Hermione had always been attracted to his tall, dark looks.

"Well, Blaise….what do you have for me? What do you have to say?"

Giving Hermione one of his killer smiles he took her hand in his. "I don't have all of your answers…yet. Wrong mate again, and one more down. But this is for you." Blaise handed a large book to Hermione, then lifted her hand and softly kissed it.

"Goodbye my friend and enjoy the rest of your evening." Then Blaise left, leaving Hermione still very confused.

Looking at the book Blaise had brought to her, the title read, 100 Ways to Charm the One You Love.

Attached to the book were another note and two candy hearts. One heart said, "Magic" and the other said, "Charm Me". The attached note said, "Use your Magic and "Charm Me" tonight." Oh my!

Hermione's heart was beating rapidly thinking of her three friends left unaccounted for: George, Cedric and Roger. She had always had strong feelings for these three men and felt extremely close to all of them. George brought out the funny side of her, Cedric met her needs for stimulating intelligent conversations and Roger just knew how to be there when she needed a listening ear.

The better question now was, who did she want this mystery admirer to be? She loved all of them, but in different ways. Could this love for any of them turn into something deeper and richer?

**6:30 p.m.**

Deep in thought, Hermione was startled when the third time that day she heard a knock at her door. Taking a deep breath, she felt the air filling up her lungs; she slowly blew the air out. Her hand shaking, she turned the knob on the door. Swinging the door open, there stood Roger Davies.

With a big smile on his face he held out a box for her. "I was asked to deliver this gift to you." Hermione reached out almost grabbing the box out of Roger's hand. Not saying anything, Hermione raised an eyebrow at Roger.

Roger just shook his head, "Keep guessing Hermione….wrong mate again. You will have all of your answers soon. "Reaching out he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. With a sincere smile he nodded his head at Hermione and left her flat.

Hermione opened the small gift box. There was a small jewelry box with a gold bracelet inside. In the middle of the bracelet was a large golden heart that opened. When she opened the heart there lay a candy heart inscribed with the words, "Heart of Gold". Also in the box was a note, "If you have a "Heart of Gold" you will meet me for dinner tonight, at 8:00 p.m. at La magie en l'air. Hermione was thrilled! That was the new French restaurant in Diagon Alley.

Two men were left now: George and Cedric. She knew that she could be happy with either man. Hermione felt physically attracted to both men; but she knew deep down inside who she hoped was in love with her.

She had secretly harbored feelings for this certain wizard for many years. It went back to their days when they were students at Hogwarts. If this was who she hoped it was, Hermione knew she could and would fall hopelessly in love with this man. He would make a great husband, father and a fabulous lover to Hermione. She needed to quit daydreaming and get ready for her date.

**7:45 p.m.**

Hermione apparated to Diagon Alley wearing a set of dark red, v-neck dress robes, designed with three layers of chiffon. There was a slight breeze causing a chill in the air. As she walked down the street, she felt like she was floating as her dress robes moved with the wind. Hermione felt beautiful as she walked to La magie en l'air. Someone, who loved her, was waiting for her!

As she drew closer to the restaurant, she couldn't stop herself from breathing quickly. How was she going to know who she was supposed to meet? The excitement and tension had slowly been building during the day as each new message arrived. Hermione so hoped that she wouldn't be disappointed. Would she be unhappy if her secret admirer turned out to be someone other than she thought?

Walking up to the Hostess at La magie en l'air, Hermione nervously looked around. "My name is Hermione Granger. I was told I was to meet someone here."

Still looking around seeing if she recognized anyone she knew, the Hostess said, "Yes. Miss Granger, your dinner companion is waiting for you in one of our private dining rooms. Please follow me."

The walk to the private room seemed to be one of the longest of her life. The click-clack of the Hostess's heels was playing on her nerves. Seriously, how far back in the restaurant were the private rooms?

"Here is the room Miss Granger, Enjoy!", and the Hostess click-clacked her way back to the front of the restaurant. This was it! If fate had ever played around in her life, today was the day!

Hermione opened the door to a very dark room. There was one lone candle lit on the elegantly dressed table. In the shadows she saw the back of a tall figure facing the wall.

Hermione cleared her throat, "I'm here my Mystery Man. It has been a wonderful day today, but I need to know the truth. Please tell me who you are and what you are really feeling," Hermione begged.

Through the darkness Hermione saw something floating towards her. She burst out laughing when she saw it was another candy heart. This one read, "You melt my Heart."

Hermione read out loud what was on the candy heart, "You melt my Heart I have to be honest with you. If you are who I think you are, and who I hope you are….then you also melt my heart!"

Not wanting to hurt anyone, but needing to take the chance Hermione said, "Cedric, is that you? Please turn around so I can see your face."

Hermione hoped to all of the Gods that were out there that she hadn't made a mistake.

Slowly he turned around.

Hermione's guess was spot on! Cedric Diggory, all 6'2' of him walked over to Hermione. He was dressed handsomely in navy-blue dress robes. Hermione couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She was feeling so many things at once she felt like she was going to faint.

"Hermione, I have one more thing I need to give to you." He reached for her hand and placed one more candy heart in the safety of her palm. Cedric, sending chills down her spine, whispered in her ear, "Read it out loud, Love."

Hermione looked down at the candy heart, silently reading the words on the candy. The words stuck in her throat because of the emotions that were filling her heart.

Hermione spoke quietly, while looking in to Cedric's eyes, "I Love You."

Cedric reached up to cup her face with his large hands. Hermione leaned into his magical touch.

Cedric spoke, "I have wanted to say those words to you for many years now and finally found the courage, and I wasn't in Gryffindor you know! But finally thanks to Dean, Blaise, Roger and George, who of course provided the fireworks today, they encouraged me.

Hermione laughed, reached up, took Cedric's hand and kissed his palm. Cedric drew closer to her. The room was crackling with anticipation and excitement now that the secret was out.

Cedric wound his arms around Hermione's waist, pulling her closer, until she was flush against him. Hermione was aroused as she felt the strength and hardness of Cedric against her.

Leaning her head against his chest she closed her eyes, filling her senses with the wonderful smell of him.

Cedric leaned his head back a little, and with his hand, tilted Hermione's head up to look at him.

Cedric spoke in a hushed voice, "I love you,those three words have my life in them, Hermione. You have come to be the center of my life. I don't know what else to say except, will you have me, my love?"

Not taking her eyes off of Cedric, she could see the love there and she hoped that he saw the same thing in her eyes.

"Cedric, if I know what love is, it is because of you. I do want you. I guess a part of me has always known that I loved you."

With those words leaving Hermione's mouth, Cedric lifted her up, holding her tightly. His head came down; with his lips meeting Hermione's in a smoldering kiss. Opening her mouth, she felt him explore with his tongue. She felt as if he wanted to crawl inside of her with his demanding touch.

Hermione had of course, never seen this side of Cedric; but she was sure it would be marvelous exploring it!

As they came up for air, Cedric fell into the nearest chair with Hermione straddling him in all of her fluff.

With arms around each other, their lips connected again for another dance; igniting fires inside that had lain dormant for so long. It felt so good to be lost in each other. It felt so amazing to be falling in love with one of her best friends.

Best friends? Hermione gasped and pulled back from Cedric. "What is this going to do to our close circle of friends? I don't want to lose all of them."

Cedric reached up with one finger and softly pressed it to her lips to stop her from talking. "Shush, it's ok. They all know how I feel and they are all fine with it. In fact, they said they are so glad that today finally happened."

Hermione looked puzzled, " Why would you say that?"

Cedric smiled wide, "I was driving them all insane because of my infatuation with you. They kept pushing me to be honest with you. That's why they were all so helpful today."

Cedric reached out to twirl his finger around a curl lying on Hermione's face. "Honestly Hermione, I meant what every note spelled out. I know I tend to tease you at times, but don't worry, I'm not teasing, and this is real."

"What's next then Cedric?" Hermione questioned the dashing man she was snuggled up against.

"Well, let's see…I am really hungry! I have been a busy boy today! But there are many things that I am hungry for tonight." Cedric finished, by drawing Hermione close to him again, as he kissed the perfect lips he had been craving. Hermione moaned into Cedric's mouth as the kiss deepened. Through the thin, chiffon gown, she could feel Cedric's need for her. Hermione found herself rocking against his hard length as he pushed against her soft warmth.

After ten minutes of blissful snogging, Cedric broke them apart, "Oh love, if we don't stop now, we will make this dark room at La magie en l'air the first place we…."

"Uh, yes Cedric, I agree," Hermione said sheepishly as she untangled herself from him.

Before she could move too far away though, Cedric tugged on Hermione's arm and she went tumbling back onto his lap.

"I just wanted to tell you something before we eat dinner Hermione…Happy Valentine's Day." They leaned in again sealing their feelings with a intense kiss.

"But Cedric, I have one favor to ask of you….no more house elves in the shower!" Cedric laughed and with a twinkle in his eye said, "Well, it's either Bess or me?"

Hermione beamed and said, "Next time I choose you!"

"That," said Cedric "can be arranged."

With that, the two friends, and soon to be lovers, spent the rest of Valentines Evening studying and practicing the charms found in the book, 100 Ways to Charm the One You Love.

The End

A/N: La magie en l'air (magic in the air)


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